Winner of the Annual Competition of Wedding Ring Manufacturers 2006/2007

We feel encouraged in our wedding ring strategy. Innovative design, utmost quality, an excellent service and a fair pricing guarantee our partners in the jewelry trade a good wedding ring business, as the success in the previous year showed. On the occasion of the inhorgenta europe 2007, we will present sales-boosting new products.

Winner of the Annual Competition of Wedding Ring Manufacturers 2005/2006:

In a large-scale inquiry campaign of the magazine “Marktintern”, Germany’s jewelers and wedding ring studios once again have elected Gerstner the wedding ring manufacturer of the year.

We wish to express our thanks to all our customers, who know the long lifetime and the high level of quality of our wedding rings.

A fair price policy and excellent quality are the milestones along the road to our repeated victory in this annual competition.

 In the slogan “the ring for life”, Gerstner expresses the availability of excellent service at a favorable price, for example the future changing of ring sizes even many years after the purchasing of the rings.”

Extract from the Magazine "markt intern", Issue February 22, 2005

A.GERSTNER: "Time is ripe for new wedding rings."

The Pforzheim jewelry manufacturer inspires married couples with this slogan to buy the so-called ‚second wedding rings’; an excellent marketing idea, since the number of singles is increasing, and at the same time, the birth rate is decreasing, i.e. there is a reduction of the population and of the number of marriages. AUGUST GERSTNER, being the proud quadruple winner of the largest annual survey about the German trade of jewelry manufacturers, knows a remedy even for this problem: Our photo to the right illustrates that this manufacturer from the famous German town of goldsmiths and watchmakers has made a clever move.

An advertising motif makes thin and tight rings look old in the true sense of this word, whereas new, up-to-date rings made of white gold 750 with their width of 6.0mm create an absolutely new optical experience and have a quality in material, which old-aged products lack. Long-lasting successful partnerships thus can be refreshed with the help of up-to-date symbols of partnership, and married couples with a religious attitude have the option of having their new rings consecrated by a priest. All in all a first-rate marketing idea from this jewelry manufacturer. Since the statements of ANNUAL SURVEY WINNERS are generally confidential, we have interviewed GERSTNER jewelers for their latest experiences with this jewelry manufacturer:

• Juergen Wahl, "Das Trauringhaus (wedding ring shop)" D-01069 Dresden: "We admire the power of innovation of this supplier again and again. At regular intervals, he presents new, surprising techniques, for example „moss gold“, multi-color in fascinating plays of colors“
• Heinz-Juergen Buchholz, jewelry shop BUCHHOLZ/ D-27749 Delmenhorst: "For us, the clear concepts of GERSTNER are the most important factors in model policy, in combination with reasonable prices and a very high level of quality“
• Susanne Meyer, jewelry shop MEYER/ D-32257 Buende: "We appreciate the great variety in the range of products, and the good, reliable service. The field sales sevice is first class, too”
• Franz Alkenmeyer, jewelry shop ALENMEYER/ D-49509 Recke: "A partnership without any problems, also due to convincing advertising materials“
• Joerg Brinkmann, jewelry shop BRINCKMANN/ D-18055 Rostock: "GERSTNER is our main supplier of wedding rings, since it provides trend-setting products, reliable service and attractive advertising“
• Margot Elane-Wolf, WEDDING RING CENTER BERGSTRASSE/ D-64625 Bensheim: "After several years trying to get to win this manufacturer as a supplier, all our expectations have been fulfilled. Since we have specialized in wedding rings, our customers expect high reliability from us and our suppliers”
• Renate Kiefer, jewelry shop KIEFER/ D-99084 Erfurt: "Owing to a perfect cooperation, this business relationship has existed for 15 years, and still exists. GERSTNER works fast and reliably, even for ASAP orders.“

Excerpt from the magazine “markt intern”, edition February 17, 2004

GERSTNER, “The Ring for Life”, and triple …
… LEADER OF THE ANNUAL RANKING published in “mi” in an uninterrupted sequence! A success based on hard work and on the enthusiasm for products of the highest symbolic value – and much appreciation by the partners in the jewelry business:

• Katrin Seidel, Jewelry Shop MEURER / D-50126 Bergheim: “Only three quarters of a year ago, we took over the shop, but already after this short period, we can praise the excellent service of this manufacturer, which is very obliging, punctual in delivery and supports our sales by means of displays and posters of strong impulse”
• Friedrich Abel, Jewelry Shop ABEL / D-73033 Goeppingen: “For 25 years we have been absolutely satisfied with A.GERSTNER, which makes the slogan “For Life” also apply to us as a retailer of the business. Both the quality and the optical appearance of the products are excellent.
• Ralf Heckler, Jewelry Shop MEISSNER / D-97616 Bad Neustadt: “A very efficient enterprise whose model policy is always up to date and also meets special demands without any problems”
• Birgit Karsten, Jewelry Shop KARSTEN / D-19053 Schwerin: “The models always are to our liking at once. The field service of this Pforzheim factory is kind, cooperative and never importunate.”
• Ronald Sedlatzek, Jewelry Shop AXEL SEDLATZEK/ D-10719 Berlin: “We are very satisfied with GERSTNER. This supplier is very generous and extremely flexible when it comes to supplements and modifications”.
• Kirsten Bauer, Jewelry Shop FREUND & BAUER / D-44137 Dortmund: “Although we have been cooperating for only three years, a relationship based on confidence has developed. Design, quality and service are impeccable.”

Our photographs show two new poster motives which prove that A. GERSTNER goes it strong also when it comes to the advertising of wedding rings and places its products into an extremely emotional atmosphere: The picture to the right shows rings of yellow and white gold 585 within sparkling flashes, the lady’s ring with five brilliants of all in all 0.25 carat. – The poster on page 4 answers the question: Why not have the pair of rings of white gold or platinum (the memoire ring is decorated with 18 or 36 brilliants on the half or the whole of its circumference) combined with the picture of the desired child as a vision of the future, making everything float high in the sky … - “Contrary to the general trend, GERSTNER was able to increase its national turnover considerably also in the year 2003. This success was based on several reasons, also including the commitment and cooperation of the manufacturer and its retail partners in the wedding ring business.” Eberhard Auerbach-Froehling runs a thoroughly sound sales policy for the design-oriented wedding ring collection with a market-adjusted pricing, which is to the benefit of both sides. In its activities, the enterprise also puts an increasing emphasis on the copyrights for its models and brands.

Excerpt from the magazine “markt intern”, edition February 11, 2003

Series Winner of Annual Awards:
The success of GERSTNER …
… has quite a few good reasons, and the fact that they have become the winner of the annual competition of wedding ring manufacturers once again does not make the team of this Pforzheim firm rest on their laurels. This ring manufactory is going to start into the year 2003 with a veritable firework of new products:

• More than 40 new fascinating wedding ring models for this year’s wedding season. The new wedding rings prospectus – still wet from the press – with a great number of instructive pictures and information
• A newly developed swivel display which is a harmonic supplement to the GERSTNER displays already available from GERSTNER’S partners in jewelry business, and which will attract the attention of the customers when being placed into the shop windows.
• An attractive set of imitated jewelry models of low prices.
• The exclusive ring dimension system, the custom-made sales support: Two different ring widths as well as an engraved plate with 6 different typeface examples are combined in this system.
• New models from the innovative and unique Twister collection
• The new ETERNITY rings (see picture to the right). An endless strip clings smoothly around the finger and creates a flashing diamond firework. Yellow and white gold with brilliants of the highest quality between 0.5 and 2.5 carats.
• The fitting supplements to these rings are available from the ETERNITY jewelry line, and also from additional sophisticated design jewelry creations from the collection ANNELIE FROEHLING.

But even the most beautiful jewelry would blossom only in obscurity if it had no active partners in the retail business. This is the field in which the Pforzheim firm with its long tradition of six generations can play all its trump cards:

• Franz Rathgeber, jewelry shop RATHGEBER / D-86150 Augsburg: „GERSTNER products sell very well, and despite the unfavorable situation in the market, the sales figures grow. The supply service is perfect.”
• Axel Wons, jewelry shop LAMBERT / D-65183 Wiesbaden: “For several decades our favorite wedding ring supplier. This Pforzheim firm always keeps its delivery dates and meets special demands of any kind.”
• Oliver Hoffmann, jewelry shop SCHMIDT-HOFFMANN / D-53111 Bonn: “The variety of the GERSTNER models is convincing. All service matters are settled very fast and at reasonable prices.”
• Juergen Wahl, Das Trauringhaus (the wedding ring shop) WAHL / D-01069 Dresden: „We place all our confidence in this manfacturer and take pride in being the exclusive agent in the capital of Saxony. This supplier combines excellent quality with good and constructive cooperation.”
• Karin Hensiek, KOLKMEYER, Haus der Weltzeituhren (the world time clocks and watches shop)“ / D-49074 Osnabrueck: “GERSTNER creations are very market oriented. We also appreciate the cooperative service of its agents.”
• Verena Winkelmann, jewelry shop HAASE / D-24837 Schleswig: „There has been a good cooperation for almost 15 years. The sales support is exemplary, starting from the sample rings. This manufacturer is absolutely reliable and is practically able to meet any demand.
• Andreas Nonhoff, jewelry shop NONHOFF / D-48143 Muenster: “GERSTNER is our main supplier in the field of wedding rings. Problems, if any, are solved in a flexible, fast and friendly way.”
• Robert Schmid, wedding ring shop SCHMID / D-78224 Singen: “GERSTNER is no. 1 among our 17 suppliers. It continuously introduces new products, and you are always up to date with market developments. We can identify the rings of this manufacturer only by its polishing quality.”

“The positive development of our customers’ turnovers and their appreciation to us as the WINNER OF THE ANNUAL AWARD are signs which show us that we have set the right way into the future with our philosophy”, says Rudolf Auerbach-Froehling, managing partner and co-proprietor, expressing his pleasure, and junior principal Eberhard Auerbach-Froehling, states the crucial points of the manufactuer, who has had the firm’s slogan (“The ring for life”) protected by a copyright: “Utmost quality, fair pricing, excellent service, competent consulting by in-house and field service employees, innovative design, a high variety of models in all price categories, and well-selling wedding ring concepts.” Good for the specialized retailers in the wedding ring business to know that they have efficient partners by their side!

Markt intern is an independent and critical magazine in the watch and jewelry trade.

Also in January 2003, many jewelers in Germany participated in the election of the wedding ring manufacturer of the year. As in the foregoing year, the firm August Gerstner GmbH & Co. Trauringfabrik (wedding ring manufactory) was elected the wedding ring manufacturer no. 1 by Germany’s jewelers and jewelry shops.

We thank all jewelers and jewelry retailers in Germany for electing us, and promise them to continue our cooperation with them as a good and fair partner. Being elected by them the wedding ring brand no. 1 in Germany has convinced us in our obligation of showing the perfection of which we are capable.